TGVE: scalable data analysis and visualization tool

The #VizTIG 2020 Symposium

Layik Hama

2020-09-09

Introduction

  • Project: Dr. Nik Lomax and Dr. Roger Beecham

  • Research Theme: Urban Analyticss

  • May 2019 - Oct 2020

  • More geo-visualization than research engineering?

Talk Outline

104290923_2519668941677516_7302972911295968679_n

  • Data visualization:
    • Ubiquitous (Lyytinen and Yoo 2002)
    • Interactive (Benyon 2014)
  • Scalable:
    • R doing what it does (best?)
    • Browser based GPU rendering
  • Discuss automating/assisting data analysis

What is an eAtlas?

What is an eatlas?

  • Feature extraction? Beautiful pictures?
  • Data exploration/interrogation to draw insights?
  • Combining different datasets?
  • Decision making and public engagement tool?

Powering an eAtlas: R + JS

GPU/CPU Graphics

Graphics R v browser (2)

Web Tech, Python and R

R & React

React is a JavaScript library which generates “HTML + CSS” languages on scholar languages on stackoverflow

R web applications

Shiny v rPlumber Shiny v rPlumber

Geovisualization

Screenshot 2020-09-08 at 10 53 08

Web mapping (Xerox)

xerox map on netscape

Web mapping (now)

web mapping libraries

Web mapping (now)

web mapping libraries

Turing Geo-Visualization Engine (TGVE or eAtlas)

Turing eAtlas screenshot

R & React (geo)

# `geoplumber` is still not on CRAN!
library(geoplumber)
# view a dataset such as the `traffic` sf object bundled 
t <- gp_map(geoplumber::traffic, browse_map = FALSE,
            height = "320px", width = "90%")
# use includeHTML for markdown
htmltools::includeHTML(t)
geoplumber | output

R & React (JavaScript)

# p <- tolower(file.path(tempdir(), "gp"))
# gp_build()
p <- "~/code/geoplumber/my-app/"
ow <- setwd(p)
r <- gp_explore()
r$kill()
setwd(ow)
  • R does NOT do “essential” UI, only pipeline work
  • Sweet spot of decoupling?

R & React (TGVE)

Turing Geo-visualization Engine in geoplumber: gp_explore

TGVE

TGVE

Components of TGVE

Turing TGVE

DeckGL: under the hood

Minimise CPU time rendering pipeline
cpu gpu comparison reactive model Slides from Uber Engineering DeckGL tea: shorturl.at/anKR5

Similar R & React

MS SandDance

Areas of innovation

  • Scalable geovisualization tool (Current)
  • Novel geovisualization techniques
  • Assisting analysis and visualization

covid19

SPENSER/COVID19 showcases

covid19 covid19

Heavily customised code base of the project source code.

Conclusion

  • TGVE is an open source scalable geovisualization tool.
  • Workflow for data science environment (modular build).
  • R already has the required wrapper packages to assist analysis and visualization (skimr)
  • Send the instructions to browser only once, subsequently just wire the data.

Thank you

  • www.turing.ac.uk/research/research-projects/turing-geovisualization-engine
  • repo home: www.github.com/layik/eAtlas
  • COVID19 showcase www.geoplumber.com
  • SPENSER showcase http://spenser.geoplumber.com

graph vis

References

Benyon, David. 2014. “Designing Interactive Systems: A Comprehensive Guide to Hci, Ux and Interaction Design.”

Lyytinen, Kalle, and Youngjin Yoo. 2002. “Ubiquitous Computing.” Communications of the ACM 45 (12): 63–96.